“Never give up” - Thai megastar Stamp Fairtex on the one piece of advice she can give her fellow female fighters
If three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex has one piece of advice for aspiring female fighters, it's to never give up, no matter who you are or where you come from.
Today, Stamp is one of the fastest-rising stars in all of combat sports. Making her debut under the ONE Championship banner nearly six years ago, she quickly established herself as one of the promotion's most dangerous women.
The 26-year-old captured the atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai crowns in her first two appearances in the main roster.
Since then, she has added a third belt to her collection, capturing the ONE women's atomweight MMA world title with a vicious third-round body shot knockout against South Korean standout Ham Seo Hee at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video.
During a recent quickfire interview with a young martial artist from Canada, Stamp was asked what advice she would give to girls hoping to one day follow in her footsteps.
"If I have to give advice to everyone, I have to say never give up," she said with a smile.
Stamp Fairtex's journey from humble beginnings to fame and fortune is truly inspiring
Growing up poor, Stamp Fairtex knows a thing or two about never giving up. Beginning to fight at an early age to help her family financially, the Thai fan favorite worked her way up the ranks to become one of the most beloved fighters in the game. But along the way, she never forgot where she came from and who helped her get there.
“My family, when I grew up, we were poor,” she said in a post-fight interview following her title win at ONE Fight Night 14. “We didn’t have a lot in financials. That’s how I realized I only have my family. My family is all I had, and they will always be there for me.”
In another interview, Stamp Fairtex detailed how she has the financial capabilities to not only help herself but also treat her parents to the finer things in life.
“I was so proud of myself. Now I can give to them,” she told the South China Morning Post. “Before I obviously couldn’t give that much money and sometimes my mum would jokingly be like, ‘Oh – 20 baht, 20 baht’. But the purse sizes were so small, it was nothing.
“But now I’m making a significant amount of money and can help my parents and give to my parents, so it makes me feel so proud of myself.”